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CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Prot. N. 137/2009S – ED
DECREE
Since through the virtues of the Saints, the most holy virtue of Jesus Christ
shines forth, and since examples of the same Saints are always to be offered to
the faithful[1], in his
Letter of 7 July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI gave a mandate to the Pontifical Commission
“Ecclesia Dei” so that some of those who in more recent decades had been
enrolled among the Saints may be venerated also in the forma extraordinaria
of the Roman Rite[2]. Indeed, “it is
highly appropriate that whoever is saintly before God should also be held as
saintly before men”[3], and “it is of
not little benefit for the faithful to always have new examples of virtues to
imitate”[4].
The Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, which had confirmed such determination
in the Instruction “Universæ Ecclesiæ”[5],
therefore took up the question of how those Servants of God recently enrolled
among the Saints might be appropriately inserted into the old Missal. This
research, started by the Pontifical Commission, was recently completed by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, after the Sovereign
Pontiff Francis
transferred all the duties of said Commission to said Congregation, by an
Apostolic Letter given “motu proprio” on 17 January 2019[6].
Wherefore the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, having consulted
several Religious Institutes, Societies of Apostolic Life and experts devoted to
the Usus Antiquior, as well as the Most Eminent Cardinal Prefect of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, approved
the norms set out below in order to foster the veneration of Saints in the
forma extraordinaria, without prejudice to particular calendars or feasts
previously granted by the Holy See.
[1] A missa festiva latiore sensu (cf. RGMR 302) may be celebrated, for a
just cause, on all III class days (except those referred to below under n. 8) as
well as on III class vigils of Saints.
[2] In addition, as regards RGMR 302 c), the Mass of anyone enrolled among the
Saints after 26 July 1960 is allowed, on the date of their liturgical memorial
as established for the Universal Church. A votive Mass of the same is also
permitted, in accordance with RGMR 311, and in keeping with the other rubrics
regarding votive Masses.
[3] Whenever a missa festiva latiore sensu is said, the full Divine
Office in conformity with Mass may be celebrated, as an ordinary Office (RGBR
169).
[4] An ordinary commemoration of the feast or vigil omitted pursuant to what is
established above under nn. 1-3, is always to be made, together with other
commemorations occurring according to the rubrics, observing RG 111 d).
[5] As regards the choice of the formulary for Mass and Divine Office pursuant
to the above prescriptions, unless these are found in the Proprium Sanctorum
pro aliquibus locis of the 1962 Missal or in its new Supplement approved by
the Holy See, they should be taken from the Common of the Missal or Breviary.
When in a given Common several formularies exist, the choice is made ad
libitum celebrantis. The formularies provided in the above-mentioned
Proprium Sanctorum or Supplement are to be used on the dates indicated
therein.
[6] Furthermore, on liturgical days of III or IV class, an ordinary
commemoration may be made ad libitum celebrantis of a Saint or Mystery on
the date at which these are indicated in the Proprium Sanctorum pro aliquibus
locis or in the new Supplement, at Mass and in the Office, observing RG 111
d).
[7] In the houses of Religious Institutes or of Societies of Apostolic Life, it
pertains to the Superior of the House, and not to the celebrant, to determine
how to make use of the present provisions in the Conventual Mass or in the
Divine Office celebrated in common or in choir.
[8] The III class feast days which may be neither impeded nor omitted under the
present provisions are listed in the table below. Said feasts may also be
celebrated on III class ferias of Lent or Passiontide, making a commemoration of
the feria according to the rubrics.
All that is established by this Decree is to be observed as from 19 March of
this year, on the Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Confessor and Patron of the Universal Church, all things to the contrary
notwithstanding.
The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted on 5 December 2019 to the
undersigned Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, approved this Decree and ordered its publication.
Given in Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, on 22 February 2020, on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle.
Luis F. Card. Ladaria, S.I.
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
✠ Giacomo Morandi
Titular Archbishop of Cerveteri
Secretary
ANNEX TO THE DECREE OF 22 FEBRUARY 2020
LIST OF III CLASS FEASTS
WHICH MAY NOT BE IMPEDED
JANUARY
17 St. Anthony, Abbot
20 Ss. Fabian, Pope, and Sebastian, Martyr
21 St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
24 St. Timothy, Bishop and Martyr
25 Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle
26 St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr
27 St. John Chrysostom, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
29 St. Francis of Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
31 St. John Bosco, Confessor
FEBRUARY
1 St. Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr
5 St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
6 St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor
MARCH
6 Ss. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs
7 St. Thomas Aquinas, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
9 St. Frances of Rome, Widow
12 St. Gregory I, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
21 St. Benedict, Abbot
24 St. Gabriel the Archangel
APRIL
11 St. Leo I, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
14 St. Justin Martyr
30 St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin
MAY
2 St. Athanasius, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
4 St. Monica, Widow
5 St. Pius V, Pope and Confessor
9 St. Gregorio of Nazianzus, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
25 St. Gregory VII, Pope and Confessor
26 St. Philip Neri, Confessor
JUNE
5 St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
11 St. Barnabas, Apostle
13 St. Anthony of Padua, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
14 St. Basil the Great, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Confessor
30 Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle
JULY
7 Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Bishops and Confessors
14 St. Bonaventure, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
19 St. Vincent of Paul, Confessor
22 St. Mary Magdalen, Penitent
29 St. Martha, Virgin
31 St. Ignatius, Confessor
AUGUST
2 St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
4 St. Dominic, Confessor
5 Dedication of St. Mary of the Snows
8 St. John Vianney, Confessor
12 St. Clare, Virgin
20 St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
28 St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
29 Decollation of St. John the Baptist
SEPTEMBER
03 St. Pius X, Pope and Confessor
12 Most Holy Name of Mary
16 Ss. Cornelius and Cyprian, Bishops and Martyrs
27 Ss. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
30 St. Jerome, Priest, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
OCTOBER
02 Holy Guardian Angels
03 St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin
04 St. Francis, Confessor
06 St. Bruno, Confessor
14 St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr
15 St. Teresa, Virgin
NOVEMBER
04 St. Charles, Bishop and Confessor
11 St. Martin, Bishop and Confessor
14 St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
18 Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles
22 St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
23 St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr
24 St. John of the Cross, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
DECEMBER
03 St. Francis Xavier, Confessor
06 St. Nicholas, Bishop and Confessor
07 St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
11 St. Damasus I, Pope and Confessor
13 St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
[1] Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter
Mediator Dei, AAS 37 (1947),
581; Second Vatican Council, Constitution
Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 104.
[2] Benedict XVI,
Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the
Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of
the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, AAS 99 (2007), 798.
[3] Benedict XIV, De Servorum Dei Beatificatione et Canonizatione, Lib.
I, Cap. XIII, 2.
[4] Ibid., 5.
[5] Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”,
Instruction on the Application of the Apostolic Letter
Summorum Pontificum of his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI given Motu Proprio,
AAS 103 (2011), 413-420, n. 25.
[6] Francis,
Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio on the Pontifical
Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, 17 January 2019.
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